Concord Times (Freetown)
Ishmael Kindama Dumbuya
13 June 2011
Freetown — As a way of contributing to national environmental development and raising the awareness across the country, the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Abubakarr Sidikie Sam-Sumana on behalf of the government and the people of Sierra Leone planted the first tree to mark this year’s National Tree Planting Day ceremony at Moku Hills in Hamilton. The Vice President also took the opportunity to lay the foundation and the first pillar for the re-demarcation of the Western Are Peninsular Forest Reserve. A total number of five hundred Gmelina-aborea trees were planted on the day on Thursday 8th June 2011 at the site. The re-demarcation exercise by officials from the Ministry of Forestry, Welt Hunger Hilfe and other partners, is expected to end in October 2011. It is expected that after the re-demarcation, a full force of foresters and forest rangers will provide security for the protection of the forest.
It could be recalled that the project “Conservation of the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve and its Watershed” was launched few years back by the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. The five-year project in the Western Area is funded by the European Union (80%) and Welt Hunger Hilfe is the implementing agency and also contributing (20%) of the project.
The National Tree Planting Day ceremony and the laying of the first pillar foundation for the re-demarcation of the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve was witnessed by key representatives from the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental stakeholders and non-governmental organizations.
In his statement before the official ceremony, the Vice President said the theme for this year which is “Trees for Life” shows that the government of Sierra Leone is setting priorities in protecting the environment and the forest in particular. The Vice President noted that over 60% of Sierra Leone’s lands has been depleted and destroyed by human activities, adding that it is incumbent on the government of Sierra Leone to protect the forest and allow it not to be destroyed by bad people. The Vice President also added that his government is championing the maximization of trees for beneficial purposes through sound management system in the country.
Chief Alhaji Abubakarr Sam-Sumana informed the people that the purpose of them visiting the Moku Hills in Hamilton is a demonstration of the deep interest they have for the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve and the environment of Sierra Leone. He reflected that in the past the Guma Valley Water Company was supplying water for a population of 500 people in the city but with the increase in the population of the city, the company can no longer do so and that the only way to get water is through protection of the watersheds in the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve. He stressed that if the Western Area Peninsular forest is protected accordingly, water will be available in all parts of the city.
The Vice President thanked the European Union for providing the funds for the conservation of the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve project. He said since the start of the project it has come out with good results such as the new forest boundary re-demarcation he had launched. As a person and government who fight for alternative energy in the country, the Vice President called on all Sierra Leoneans to help protect the Western Area Peninsular Forest and its implementation and ensure that the donors do not lose the credibility they have for the people of Sierra Leone.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Dr. Sam Sesay said the Peninsular Forest Reserve project has identified 61 water points in the Western Area and out of this number, 4 have the capacity of producing more water than the Guma Valley dam. The minister reflected on the establishment of the National Tree Planting Day since June 1985. Commenting on the re-demarcation ceremony, Dr. Sesay said the first demarcation exercise for the Western Area known as the green belt was made in 1922.
The Agriculture and Forestry minister cited the importance of the forest in the land, noting that there is the potential for electricity supply to the Western Area communities if the forests are protected. He noted that if the trees are cut down from the forest, the filth will overflow the watersheds already identified as potentials for water supply for the city.
The Project Manager for Welt Hunger Hilfe, Jochen Moninger, said he is happy for the commitment of the government of Sierra Leone towards protecting the peninsular forest and also the commitment of the communities in setting by-laws to punish defaulters found cutting down trees in the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve.
The WHH Project Manager for the Conservation of the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve suggested to the Vice President and the government of Sierra Leone the formation of a body to protect the forest in the country, which body should compose of various environment stakeholders in the country. The funds for this body, he added, should be sourced elsewhere other than the government of Sierra Leone. He said Sierra Leone still has two and half years to find sustainable solutions to protect the forest in the Western Area.
The Minister for Energy and Water Resources said as a country that is grappling with development, environmental development must be ensured. He said deforestation of the forest must not be only to the people who go and cut down trees but also to those who buy the trees from them.
Chairman of the Western Area Rural District Council, Alhassan Cole said the Western Area Peninsular Forest is seriously threatened by human activities such as logging of trees, the misguided conversion of some areas into dwelling settlements and the large artisanal as well as industrial stone mining. He noted that as deforestation is gaining grounds in the country, it is amounting to harsh climatic conditions and other undesirable consequences and that if the situation is not arrested, the survival of people will be tagged with a bigger question mark.
Mr. Cole added that in his community where the project is being implemented, the most common and frequently utilized energy sources are fuel wood and charcoal and that the bulk of these come from the exploitation of preferred species from lowland rain forests, mangrove swamp forest and the lempira savanna in the north of the country.
He added that about 85% of the Sierra Leonean population is dependent on the use of fuel wood and charcoal for domestic heating and cooking. The Chairman noted that on a daily basis, everyone can see many heavy-laden truckloads of fuel wood and charcoal being brought to the city from the Western Area Peninsular Forest.
While speaking on the effects of quarrying, Mr. Cole said cascading impact removal or weakening of a rock will generate a ripple environmental effect where it will undermine the nearby natural system, which in turn responds by causing other impacts and that the loss of the vegetation is one important impact. Mr. Cole thanked the Sierra Leone government, the European Union, Welt Hunger Hilfe and other individuals for their efforts in the conservation of the Sierra Leone Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve project.
AllAfrica – All the Time